6th February 1982 - City 0 Fulham 0

[Squire Dastardly]

Maybe not the most exciting title for a posting on a forum but a famous day in the club's history. This 3rd division game was the first after the Ashton Gate Eight tore up their contracts and took redundancy to allow the survival of the club. The attendance was double the previous home game and I was there. Fulham were going for promotion. As Roy Hodgson's young and inexperienced side lined up for the start, I remember seeing a Fulham fan run onto the pitch and give a £1 note to the City's no. 9.  Debuts were given to 17 year old Wayne Bray and an 18 year old Wiltshire lad called Rob Newman. Unfortunately the heroics of that day couldn't be maintained and City went down to Div 4. However' the loss of points contributed to Fulham missing out on promotion. 

Why, at the age of 80, am I going on about all this? Because I want to contrast the club then, when we were in free fall and the club now when we are in mid-table of The Championship (or 2nd division as I still think of it). Most particularly the spirit at Bristol City then and now is so very different. In my view, however, we are in a similarly perilous position and without drastic changes we could once more go into freefall. We have the money now but that won't help unless we have a manager who can motivate and a group of players with the self respect to go out and fight for their team The club's destiny is in the hands of the owners this time and we need a manager of the calibre of Roy Hodgson. Nigel Pearson is and has been in that category. Back up the fine words with fine deeds and give the man the job.

[Offside]

Just saw this pic from that game in one of my City books. 

[milo1111]

Despite respectable league positions over the last few years Ashton and his suits have been dismantling the last of the old Bristol City. Moving on some employees and bringing in their cronies.

after selling the family silver (Reid, Bryan, Kelly ) plus other players that he didn’t sign and replacing them with cowards with no passion for the club . As well as an abysmal medical team , the chickens are coming home to roost and we now have a mess on the pitch as well. 

I started going to the gate when we were just picking up under terry Cooper. Alan Walsh was my hero. Glyn Riley would run through brick walls. David moyes would head brick walls!! When we came from behind to beat Hereford and reach Wembley I was walking on air. Despite being in the second tier( by luck more than judgement) I wonder how it has come to this when I actually despise some of our players and that odious **** who is about to leave for Suffolk.

only conclusion I can draw is that despite being well intentioned mr lansdown hasn’t a clue how to run a proper football club. Is there any owner out there who has spent more money over such a long period never to tasted the top flight??

[Squire Dastardly]

Believe you me, I understand your feelings. However, every City fan there has ever been has passed through episodes like this on a regular basis.

I urge you to keep the faith and concentrate on the positives. The Lansdown family own the club, they don't run it. They provide the financial resources, they don't decide what to spend them on in any detailed way. In the light of recent "Super League" events, I am delighted we have a UK owner who wants fair competition between all clubs in the PL, Championship and the lower leagues. 

We will be a Championship side next year. New appointments will be made, I hope wisely, of a manager and possibly a new CEO. Many of the current squad, who have failed us so badly will not be part of next year's team. Many of the younger players will be. Lansdown is looking for additional investment. 

There is a good way forward. We need the right choices to be made.

[Nogbad the Bad]

On 06/04/2021 at 16:29, Squire Dastardly said:

As Roy Hodgson's young and inexperienced side lined up for the start, I remember seeing a Fulham fan run onto the pitch and give a £1 note to the City's no. 9. 

As I remember it the bloke who ran on the pitch had been standing near me in the enclosure.

Pretty sure it was a City fan, and that reports at the time said the well-off fellow proffered a £10 note.

[054123]

11 hours ago, Offside said:

Just saw this pic from that game in one of my City books. 

That my memory of the Dolman for at least the next 15 years after 

[old parkender]

I was at that game, one thing I will say is, back in those dark days we had a team some of whom were not particularly good but at the end of the game you knew they had tried their hardest and would try again the next match, you couldn’t dislike them. Contrast that to the absolute shower of overpaid pampered couldn’t care less wasters currently masquerading as Bristol city fc and it’s enough to make you sick

[Nogbad the Bad]

1 minute ago, old parkender said:

I was at that game, one thing I will say is, back in those dark days we had a team some of whom were not particularly good but at the end of the game you knew they had tried their hardest and would try again the next match, you couldn’t dislike them. Contrast that to the absolute shower of overpaid pampered couldn’t care less wasters currently masquerading as Bristol city fc and it’s enough to make you sick

Yep, but they clutch the badge while apparently screaming with passion on official site photos and the club generously give fans the opportunity to wish all the players we love so much a Happy Birthday on facebook!

Almost forgot, have a fantastic Birthday Jay!

[cidered abroad]

On 06/04/2021 at 16:29, Squire Dastardly said:

Maybe not the most exciting title for a posting on a forum but a famous day in the club's history. This 3rd division game was the first after the Ashton Gate Eight tore up their contracts and took redundancy to allow the survival of the club. The attendance was double the previous home game and I was there. Fulham were going for promotion. As Roy Hodgson's young and inexperienced side lined up for the start, I remember seeing a Fulham fan run onto the pitch and give a £1 note to the City's no. 9.  Debuts were given to 17 year old Wayne Bray and an 18 year old Wiltshire lad called Rob Newman. Unfortunately the heroics of that day couldn't be maintained and City went down to Div 4. However' the loss of points contributed to Fulham missing out on promotion. 

Why, at the age of 80, am I going on about all this? Because I want to contrast the club then, when we were in free fall and the club now when we are in mid-table of The Championship (or 2nd division as I still think of it). Most particularly the spirit at Bristol City then and now is so very different. In my view, however, we are in a similarly perilous position and without drastic changes we could once more go into freefall. We have the money now but that won't help unless we have a manager who can motivate and a group of players with the self respect to go out and fight for their team The club's destiny is in the hands of the owners this time and we need a manager of the calibre of Roy Hodgson. Nigel Pearson is and has been in that category. Back up the fine words with fine deeds and give the man the job.

@Squire Dastardly are you sure you were there? I don't remember seeing a dastardly 90 year old squire!

What we did see was a fighting performance with a makeshift team. Many of us there had bought shares to help save us and we watched in amazement at those like a very young Rob Newman, no wider than a beanpole, tiny Jon Economou, twelve year old Wayne Bray, little Gary Williams.

We knew it was our club, many were at Newport the week before, and we and the players belonged to each other.

Now we have a squad of (some) millionaires who we have no affinity with and who don't give a toss about us.

[Squire Dastardly]

56 minutes ago, cidered abroad said:

@Squire Dastardly are you sure you were there? I don't remember seeing a dastardly 90 year old squire!

What we did see was a fighting performance with a makeshift team. Many of us there had bought shares to help save us and we watched in amazement at those like a very young Rob Newman, no wider than a beanpole, tiny Jon Economou, twelve year old Wayne Bray, little Gary Williams.

We knew it was our club, many were at Newport the week before, and we and the players belonged to each other.

Now we have a squad of (some) millionaires who we have no affinity with and who don't give a toss about us.

I certainly was there though only 41 at the time. It was a proud day and I had made the trip down from Birmingham where I lived at the time in order to be there. 

Our problems were not solved overnight as we descended to Div. 4 but it was always to be a turning point. 

I hope our problems won't take so long to solve this time but don't expect miracles next season.

[Squire Dastardly]

2 hours ago, Nogbad the Bad said:

As I remember it the bloke who ran on the pitch had been standing near me in the enclosure.

Pretty sure it was a City fan, and that reports at the time said the well-off fellow proffered a £10 note.

There was less segregation of fans in those days, except in the shed end of course. I was in the enclosure too and I thought, at the time, that it was a Fulham fan taking the piss, but maybe you were right

[Nogbad the Bad]

49 minutes ago, cidered abroad said:

@Squire Dastardly are you sure you were there? I don't remember seeing a dastardly 90 year old squire!

What we did see was a fighting performance with a makeshift team. Many of us there had bought shares to help save us and we watched in amazement at those like a very young Rob Newman, no wider than a beanpole, tiny Jon Economou, twelve year old Wayne Bray, little Gary Williams.

We knew it was our club, many were at Newport the week before, and we and the players belonged to each other.

Now we have a squad of (some) millionaires who we have no affinity with and who don't give a toss about us.

So much more passion on and off the pitch then. The support and emotion of the fans that day at Newport, just wow.

The unbridled relief of that Fulham game - these days it's sit down, shut up (or you'll be on a ban) and buy a season ticket to show how loyal you are.

Give me the hundreds of boisterous young fans (and quite a few overage!) moving forward excitedly in the POTD queues for the Juvenile turnstiles any day.

Accompanied by a 'Come and join us, come and join us, come and join us over 'ere' chant from those already inside the EE, and we couldn't bloody wait, whatever division we were in!

What experience are young fans getting these days that will confirm them as BCFC fans for life - stuck up in the God's of the Lansdown, chaperoned to 'behave' by a disapproving adult to suck all the excitement and spontaneity out of what should be an exciting day out with their friends - bored out of their minds miles away from the action, if they're there at all that is.

It might not have felt like it at the time, but we had the best experience of supporting Bristol City F.C. - the downs as well as the ups -in the 70's and 80's.